Cardinals refuse Westbrook's 2014 option

The Sports Xchange

The SportsXchangeOctober 31, 2013

The St. Louis Cardinals declined right-hander Jake Westbrook's $9.5 million contract option for 2014 on Thursday. Westbrook, who lost his spot in the rotation in August, will get a $1 million buyout instead, the St. Louis Post Dispatch reported. Also Thursday, after the Cardinals lost in six games to the Boston Red Sox in the World Series, Carlos Beltran, Chris Carpenter, Rafael Rurcal and Edward Mujica filed for free agency. The 36-year-old Westbrook started 19 games in 2013 and posted a 7-8 record with a 4.63 ERA in 116 2/3 innings. He came to the Cardinals in 2010 in a deal with the Cleveland Indians. Westbrook and Carpenter indicated during the season that they might retire. According to the Post Dispatch, the Cardinals are not interested in bringing back Furcal, who was sidelined throughout the 2013 season with an elbow injury. Mujica posted 37 saves but battled shoulder and groin injuries at the end of the season and did not pitch in the World Series. Beltran expressed a desire to return, but his status is uncertain.